Analysis of DRAINMOD performances with different detail of soil input data in the Veneto region of Italy

The deterministic field scale model DRAINMOD was tested in an experiment on subsurface pipe drainage in the Veneto region, in an environment of NE Italy characterised by the presence of a shallow water table in a flat area. The objective was to determine whether a minimal set of field data would suffice to use DRAINMOD for predictive purposes. The measured water table depth and drain outflow from a 5-year field experiment were compared to those determined by DRAINMOD using three levels of detail in input data. The results indicated that even very limited input data (texture and porosity of the top 30 cm of soil) gave good predictions. More elaborate data improved the estimates.